14 DAY TRIAL // Hegemony Rome: The Rise of Caesar could be a great experience for history buffs and lovers of the strategy genre when it is officially launched, but the Early Access version of the game also shows some issues that need to be solved as quickly as possible.
The core idea for the title from Longbow Games is to put the player in the role of the legendary Roman leader, as he attempts to kick start both his military and his political career, with the first campaign taking him to Gaul.
The mechanics will be familiar to those who have played the first Hegemony, which focused on the wars between the various city states in Greece, and the tutorial included will be very helpful in offering a reminder for those who might have trouble remembering.
Basically, gamers need to control generals and their troops, as they protect cities and important resources clusters and deliver the goods and supplies that are required to run a solid military campaign.
The bug selling point of the first title in the series was the way it combined a hand-drawn strategic layer with the ability to zoom in quickly in order to see actual battles and how cities were evolving, and The Rise of Caesar offers the same option.
The transition is much less impressive today than it was a few years ago but it still represents the core of a strategy title that understands how important the attention of the gamer is.
The hand-drawn look of the strategic view is still beautiful and at the same time informative, although the legions and the towns look a little underwhelming, especially when compared to such modern experiences as Total War: Rome 2.
In the new Hegemony gamers need to always look at the actions of their legions, while also making sure that they know where the enemy lies and what his plans are, and the structure of the game promises both a solid campaign and some challenging sandbox experiences.
Rise of Caesar does pose an interesting set of challenges, but at the moment it is hampered by a series of technical problems, including crashes and a big slowdown when moving from the strategic map to the zoomed in tactical view.
We will create a full review for Hegemony Rome: The Rise of Caesar when the game is officially launched; however, the development team has not yet announced an official date.
